Okay, I admit it – a corny title, for sure. But these CHEESE BISCUITS will definitely make you smile. Served hot out of the oven, they have a nice crunch on the outside and are tender on the inside. And if you can manage to snag a few for leftovers, they are almost as good the next day – simply heat them in the toaster oven. What’s that you say? You don’t have a toaster oven? Well, you really should! Besides the obvious (making toast), they’re perfect for heating small amounts of food. Why heat up that large oven for a little job? It’s much cheaper to use a toaster oven. I use mine nearly everyday!

But I digress.  (I’ve mentioned before:  my mind tends to wander.)  You simply must try my CHEESE BISCUIT recipe!  The task may seem a little daunting to those of you who have never made biscuits from scratch – but I guarantee it’s easier than you think!  (Would I steer you wrong?  NOOOO!)  What you have to know is biscuits are a quick bread.  A quick bread is a bread that uses something OTHER than yeast as a leavening agent.  Quick breads can turn tough if you overwork the dough.  What does that mean?  DON’T WORK SO HARD!  Less is more where quick breads are concerned.

CHEESE BISCUITS – makes 8 or 9 biscuits, depending on how big you make them

• ½ cup plain yogurt, drained (line a sieve with a coffee filter and pour in the yogurt – let drain at least ½ hour)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup milk (I use nonfat)
• ½ cup cheese, shredded (I use a combination of medium cheddar and asiago)
• 1 ½ cups flour (I use organic all-purpose)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar (it’s in the spice section in a jar – not the sauce you put on fish)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 T butter, cold
• egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water) (not the same egg listed above)

NOTE:  Notice you need the yogurt drained – so you have to plan ahead.   I use homemade plain nonfat yogurt in my recipe.  If you’d rather use sour cream, then use only 4 T of butter (½ cup).

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  If you’d like to see my video for how to make yogurt go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyIwAixwiUg%5B/

If you have a food processor, put the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter (cut up in several pieces) in the work bowl.  Pulse it several times until the butter is broken up into very small bits.  If you don’t have a food processor (Sigh!  – you really should have one of these, too) put these same ingredients in a bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture by using 2 knives and cross-cutting until the butter is pea sized.

In a medium bowl beat the egg.  Mix in the yogurt, milk, and cheeses.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and gently begin incorporating the two together with a large spoon.  Once most of the flour is mixed in, smash down the dough with your fists into the bowl.  Then fold the dough in half onto itself.  Turn the bowl a quarter turn.   Smash  and fold.  Repeat one more time.  That’s 3 times total – that’s all you ‘knead’ to do.  (Thank you, I’ll be here all week!)

Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit.   Spoon the dough onto a greased cookie sheet (unless you’re using non-stick).  Depending on how big you want them, you should get 8 or 9 (I make 8).  Kind of shape them with the spoon so they’re rounded.  (Of course, you could make cute shapes, if you like – hearts, perhaps?)  Dip a pastry brush into the egg wash and paint the tops of the biscuits.  I like to sprinkle some extra asiago cheese on top – it’s pretty and adds a little extra cheesy flavor.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

These biscuits make a wonderful addition to so many meals – kind of the cherry on top. Needless to say, they’re NOT low calorie.  But they ARE yummy!  So plan a walk after dinner and enjoy the happy memory of that CHEESE BISCUIT while you enjoy the fresh air!